Greytown: a South African townscape.

Abstract

• Opsomming: Op enkele uitsonderings na is die stedelike nedersettings van Suid-Afrika deur mense van of Hollandse of Britse herkoms gestig. Die Hollands-Afrikaanse dorp en die British-settler town is as tipes duidelik van mekaar te onderskei, maar die Britse oorname van elk van die vier provinsies het telkens 'n tydperk van vermenging van dorp- en town-elemente ingelui. Hierdie proses van interkulturele ontlening het Suid-Afrikaanse dorpsbeelde na vore gebring waarvan Greytown in Natal 'n sprekende voorbeeld is. Dorpsbeelde weerspieël die kultuurgeskiedenis duidelik en die vertolking daarvan kan daarom 'n bruikbare toevoeging tot ander geskiedkundige bronne wees.• Summary: With only a few exceptions, South Africa's urban settlements were founded by people of either Dutch or British descent. The Dutch-Afrikaner dorp and the British-settler town can be recognized as contrasting places, but the British takeover of each of the four provinces initiated a period in which dorp and town elements were blended. This process of inter-cultural borrowing produced South African townscapes, of which Greytown, Natal is a prime example. Townscapes are vivid reflections of cultural history, and their interpretation can therefore be a useful adjunct to other sources of historical information.